Ollivici set for Inter Dominion

By Michael Howard (HRV)

Boom trotter Ollivici appears on course to make a big noise in Australasia’s greatest race series, with trainer-driver Chris Lang revealing the four-year-old was set to tackle November’s Victorian Inter Dominion.

The four-year-old dominated the Aldebaran Park Winter Trotters Cup final at Bendigo on Saturday night, the Group 2 triumph a third straight victory that has Lang and connections daring to dream.

“We’ll be wanting to target the Inter Dominion this year, because he’s going well,” Lang told TrotsVision.

“Mightn’t be good enough to win it this year, but it’s very good grounding for him for further down the track.”

Lang shot Ollivici to the front and he controlled the tempo throughout, blazing home in a 27.9-second final quarter that put the result beyond doubt and set up a seven-metre win to second-placed Whos The Man.

Lang’s name already features prominently on the Inter Dominion Trotting Championship’s honour roll, having won in 2009 and 2010 with brilliant Sundons Gift.

This year’s series, which returned to Victoria for the first time since 2018, kicks off on November 26 at Ballarat and continues with heats at Shepparton (November 29) and Geelong (December 3) before the December 10 finals at Tabcorp Park Melton.

In the lead up to ID22 Lang revealed Ollivici would likely be steered towards the new $30,000 feature at Melton on September 2 – the Delvin Dancer 4YO Trotters Classic, part of a new night that honours both the Gath and Conroy families and features the Need For Speed finals.

“We’ll target that,” Lang said. “We took the long view and were patient with him and we think we’re in for a very good ride the way he’s going.”

By Orlando Vici out of Belle Galleon, last Saturday’s win by Ollivici thrilled his big band of owners, many of whom were on course to enjoy the celebrations, including part owner Mark Shaw.

“I can’t believe it, I’m still shaking,” he told TrotsVision. “I’ve known Chris for over 30 years, we’ve had some excellent horses but I think this will be the best.”